Automobile jack handle and assembly



March 27, 1956 J. H. RICE 2,739,787

AUTOMOBILE JACK HANDLE AND ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JESS H. RICE ATTY.

FIG. 6

March 27, 1956 RICE 2,739,787

AUTOMOBILE JACK HANDLE AND ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

I6 I 1 l 2 I0 is:

IN VEN TOR. JESS H. RICE FIG. 2 A $6M ATTY.

United States Patent C AUTOMOBILE JACK HANDLE AND ASSEMBLY Jess H. Rice, Akron, Ohio Application September 10, 1953, Serial No. 379,368

4 Claims. (Cl. 254-99) This invention relates to an automobile jack and more particularly to an improved handle for an automobile jack and the assembly of the handle with the rest of the jack.

The jack may be of any usual general design having either two or three legs and the lift screw may be held in one of these in any usual manner, the lift screw preferably being entirely supported from the top of this leg except for such sliding support as is provided by contact of the lifting arm with the leg.

The handle is pivoted to the lift screw above the frame or leg which holds it, and is provided with several supporting surfaces, on any one of which it may be supported. Thus, for shipment and for storage the handle is movable to a position adjacent the leg in which the lift screw is located. When in use, the handle is generally supported in a substantially horizontal position, but because at times there is not room for rotation of the handle in this position, a supporting surface is provided for holding the handle in an upwardly extending position at no more than a small angle from the vertical. Although these are the preferred positions, it is to be understood that other supporting surfaces may be provided for holding the handle in other positions.

Fig. l is a view of the jack when set up for use, with the handle extended substantially horizontally;

Fig. 2 is a detail of the top of the jack taken from the front, with the handle in full lines in a downwardly pointing position and also showing the handle in the two preferred operating positions in dot-dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 2.

The jack shown in the drawings is formed of the leg or frame 1 which holds the lift screw 2 and two supporting legs 4 and 5 which are pivotally attached by the rivets 6 at the bracket 7 so that they may be collapsed against the leg 1 when the jack is not in use and may be spread as illustrated in Fig. l to support the jack when in use. The chain 9 limits the angle to which the legs 4 and 5 may be spread.

In this jack the leg 1 is a channel partly enclosed at the front, but with the longitudinal opening 10 through which the lifting arm 11 threaded on the lift screw 2 travels longitudinally of the leg. The portion of the lifting arm inside of the leg is shaped so that it fits rather snugly within the leg.

The top of the leg 1 is covered by a cap which is crimped in place. The cap includes the top portion 12, two side portions 13 and 14, the front 15, and the back 16. Small holes 20 (Fig. 4) are formedin the two sides of the leg 1 near its top end. The cap is held in place by crimping it at two spots 21 at the middle of the two sides 13 and 14, the crimped portions being bent into the openings 20. This holds the cap in place.

Above the cap is the ball bearing chamber 25 which is formed in any suitable manner as shown. It includes the two races 26 with ball bearings 27. The washer 28rests on the ball bearing chamber and serves as a loose cover therefor, and also as a top for the entire frame of the jack on which the different supporting surfaces of the handle rest to hold the handle in any one of its several possible positions.

The handle 30 is supported in the upper end of the lift arm by the short bar 31. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the handle is formed of sheet metal, the edges 32 being bent down throughout substantially its entire length to give it strength. The-outer end of the handle is equipped with the rotatable knob 33.

The downwardly bent ears 35 at the inner end .of the handle are each formed with three supporting-surfaces. When the handle hangs down against the leg it rests on the surfaces 40. The weight of the lift screw and lifting arm hold these surfaces againstthe washer 28 and this prevents the handle from swinging outwardly from the leg regardless of the position of the jack. When the handle is moved to the horizontal position, it rests on the surfaces 41. When tilted upwardly, it rests on surfaces 42. These different positions of the handle are illustrated in Fig. 2. In order to change the position of the handle from one position to another, the lift screw 2 is raised slightly. This is easily done by grasping the knob 33 and by means of it moving the handle to the desired position. As the handle is moved from any one position to another, the bar 31 is raised slightly, and to facilitate this movement the edges of the ears 35 between the respective surfaces 40, 41 and 42 are slightly rounded. The stop 45 prevents the handle from 'ice being moved beyond the upwardly extending or tilted position which is one of the positions illustrated in Fig. 2.

In assembling the jack, the handle is first mounted on the lift screw by the bar 31. Then the washer 28, the assembled ball bearing chamber 25, and the cap 12 are slipped onto the screw. Next the lift screw is crimped or burred slightly at 50 (Fig. 6) to limit the possible upward movement of the lift screw after the jack has been assembled. The lifting arm 11 is then threaded onto the lift screw. Then the lift screw is inserted in the leg 1 to which the bracket 7 and possibly also the legs 4 and 5 have been previously assembled. The two side plates 13 and 14 of the cap are then crimped into the holes 20 and the entire jack is completely assembled except for the foot plates 55 on the three legs and the chain 9 which may be assembled at any desired stage of the completion of the jack.

It is obvious that the design of the handle with its three supporting surfaces and its operation are not dependent upon the jack having three legs as shown or on other details of the jack and the invention relates more particularly to the design of the handle and the assem bly of the upper portion of the frame of the jack on which the handle is supported, and is defined in the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. An automobile jack formed with at least one supporting leg having a lift screw slidably supported therein and a lifting arm on the screw, a cap on the screw through which the screw extends, a handle pivotally attached to the screw above the cap withthe weight of the screw pulling the handle toward said cap, anti-friction means about the screw between the cap and the handle, and means under the cap which permits only limited longitudinal movement of the screw through the cap, the handle being provided with three different supporting surfaces adapted to rest on the anti-friction means when the handle is in the following three positions, respectively: extending downwardly near the leg, extending substantially horizontally, and extending upwardly,

lift screw, and a handle pivoted to the screw above the.

frame, the screw pulling; the handle toward the frame, the handle being, provided with a, plurality of supporting surfaces. each of which supports the, handle on. the top, of the frame at; a different angle to the lift screw, the handle being: changeable from any one of said, positions. in which it rests on; any one of said surfaces to any other: of said, positions in which it; rests on another of said, surfaces by. lifting the screw, pivoting the handle with. respect thereto fromv one position to another and,

then returning the: screw to substantially its former position but with. the handle resting, on a different supporting surface.

3. An automobile jack which includes a frame, a lift screw on which a lifting armisthreaded, said screw be-- ingliftably supported in the frame, a handle pivotally attached to the upper end of the screw above the top of the frame and pulling the handle down toward the frame, the handle being adaptedto be moved pivotally from. a downwardly extending position through a horizontal position to an upwardly extending position, and a plurality of different means on the handle adapted torest on the top of thelframe in said three positions with the weight of the screw through its pivotal engagement with the handle maintaining the handle in any one of said three positions and permitting change to another position by lifting-the screw and turning the handle about said pivot and bringing a different one of said means on the handle to rest on the top of the frame.

4. An automobile jack which includes a frame, a lift screw, a lifting arm threaded on the screw, the screw extending through the top of the frame and being movable longitudinally therein, and a handle pivotally attached to the screw above the top of the frame and being pulled down toward the frame by the pull of the screw, the handle being adapted to extend downwardly and having a surface-that: then contacts the top surface: of the frame, a second surface on the handle substantially perpendicular to said first surface which is adapted to contact thetop surface of the frame whenthe. handle is, in a substantially horizontal position, and a third surface on the handle which is atarr angle to said second surface such that the handle extends upwardly when resting thereon, the position of the handle being pivotally changeable on the screw from resting on any one of said surfaces to any other of. said surfaces when. the screw, is lifted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,249 Hanlin Dec. ll, 1906 1,350,773, Bentley Aug. 24, 1920 1,743,241. Schmidt Jan. 14, 1930 1,950,289 Benson Mar. 6, 1934 2,165,060 Krug July 4, 1939 2,336,082 Floraday. Dec. 7, 1943 23.46.1615 Santon Apr. 11, 1944 2,608,382- Palka Aug. 26,1952. 2,627,330 Gantz Feb. 3, 1953 2,630,295 Lucker. Mar. 3, 1953 2,637,523: Luclter May ,5, 1953. 2,670,634 Paglinso- Mar. 2, 

